Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 468 Deja Vu
"Green Shadow!"

Upon seeing this large hand, the old man's pupils contracted, his voice trembled, and he cried out.

"I want all of your physical bodies!"

Cold, emotionless words emanated from the large green hand, which then trembled and twisted, transforming into a hazy green light and shadow.

At first glance, this figure appears to be humanoid, but its head is unusually small and sharp like a spearhead. On its face, which is flashing with green light, its eyes are an eerie green, making it look extremely strange.

Upon seeing that it was indeed the high-ranking Shadow Clan member he had anticipated, the old man in blue armor twitched at the corner of his mouth, and his face turned quite pale.

Although the power of lightning can restrain most of the Shadow Clan, Green Shadow, who is on par with human avatar cultivators, already possesses extremely strong supernatural abilities, so the talismans in his hand are naturally ineffective against him.

In the past, when Nascent Soul cultivators fought one-on-one with beings like Green Shadow, the result was almost always a crushing defeat or death for the human cultivator.

Moreover, judging from the fact that this green shadow can control so many shadow puppets all by itself, it is probably an extremely high-level existence among green shadows.

How could this not make the long-bearded old man's heart sink?

At this moment, bursts of explosions came from the distant horizon, clearly indicating that the other Black Iron Guards had also been caught up by the shadow puppets and were all engaged in fierce battles.

The green shadow ignored the old man's shock and took a step forward without saying a word. Its body appeared mysteriously about ten feet in front of the old man. Then, it raised one hand and grabbed directly at the thick arc of electricity protecting the old man.

He actually intended to forcibly tear open the old man's protective magic weapon!

The old man was startled. How dare this green figure, a fellow Nascent Soul cultivator, look down on him so much? He was both shocked and furious. With a low shout, he poured all his magical power into his protective magic treasure.

The purple arc of electricity in front of him hummed and then grew three times larger.

Upon seeing this, a hint of disdain flashed in Green Shadow's dark eyes. Without pausing, it actually grabbed the thick arc of electricity.

With a loud bang, the thick arc of electricity exploded and flashed wildly in the green claw, eventually transforming into a small sword whose surface was covered with arcs of electricity.

The sword's light flickered and trembled wildly, yet it could only struggle within the green claws, unable to break free.

The old man in blue armor suddenly turned ashen-white, devoid of any color.

Green Shadow let out a piercing, eerie laugh and moved again, seemingly about to strike once more.

But at that moment, a faint rumble of thunder suddenly sounded above the old man, followed by a flash of five-colored lightning, and a figure in a black robe appeared out of thin air.

The moment the figure appeared, he waved his hand without saying a word.

With a flick of the five fingers of one hand, five thick arcs of electricity of different colors shot down in a dazzling display.

Upon seeing this, the green shadow was startled but not overly panicked. Instead, it simply swayed its shoulder, and suddenly five gray shadows shot out from behind it, disappearing in a flash as they met the five arcs of electricity in the air.

Green Shadow herself twisted her body in an incredible spiral, seemingly wanting to retreat a bit.

The black-robed figure above suddenly let out a calm, cold snort, but to Green Shadow's ears it was icy and chilling.

Against the Crimson Shadow, whose cultivation level was higher than his own, Nie Zhaonan's spiritual attack might not have much effect, but against the Green Shadow, whose cultivation level was far inferior to his own, the powerful spiritual force was simply beyond his ability to resist.

Upon hearing this hum, Green Shadow trembled violently, abruptly halting her retreat, and then stood frozen in place, her expression blank.

A deafening roar erupted as five arcs of electricity collided head-on with the shadow puppet.

With just a slight contact, the gray shadow melted away layer by layer amidst the raging electric arcs, and wisps of gray mist instantly rose up.

The five electric arcs, seemingly unaffected by any loss of power, continued their relentless trajectory towards the green shadow below.

The green shadow, still not fully awake, had no time to react. It only felt a flash of light before its eyes and was then swept up and enveloped by five-colored arcs of electricity.

The surrounding void tightened, and his body froze as he was firmly bound within the dazzling arcs of electricity.

With a few whooshing sounds, streaks of silver light of various shapes shot out from Nie Zhaonan's hand, which turned out to be a series of restrictive talismans that affixed to the green shadow's body.

Then, under the restriction of the talisman, the green shadow's body began to shrink and deform, eventually turning into a fist-sized green sphere, shimmering with a faint spiritual light.

Nie Zhaonan was not surprised at all, and simply reached out with one hand to grab at the void.

The sphere immediately soared into the air and was easily captured.

The lightly armored elder, who had been staring in disbelief, finally reacted and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the smiling figure above him.

"Thank you so much, Senior Nie, for saving me. If it weren't for you, I would have been in real trouble. I had long heard that you patrolled dangerous areas and rescued many fellow cultivators in distress. Seeing this now, I can confirm it. You are truly a role model for us cultivators!"

"Senior's supernatural powers are indeed as astounding as the rumors suggest! Even high-ranking Shadow Clan members can be captured alive with just a flick of their fingers!"

"It's nothing. I just had some free time recently, so I took a look around. It was just something I did on the side." Nie Zhaonan smiled calmly.

Having just ended his century-long seclusion, and with no important matters to attend to, Nie Zhaonan naturally chose to wander around Tianyuan City for a short period of time to calm his mind and improve his state of mind.

"What are you saying, senior! Our team is extremely grateful for your kindness." The old man still had a smile on his face, and his words were full of sincerity, without the slightest pretense.

"Hmm," Nie Zhaonan nodded slightly, "Are the other fellow cultivators alright?"

"It'll be alright. Since that Shadow Clan member has been restrained, the Shadow Puppet he controlled will naturally dissipate as well. Even though my men were possessed earlier, it was only for a short while. At most, they only suffered some damage to their vital energy, and there's nothing serious about it." The old man was quite sensible, and seeing that Nie Zhaonan didn't want to talk any more, he quickly said.

At this moment, four Black Iron Guards nearby stepped forward and bowed deeply to Nie Zhaonan, expressing their gratitude for saving their lives.

Nie Zhaonan casually exchanged a few words, but when he saw one of the female cultivators with a fair and jade-like face, a sense of familiarity arose in his heart, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

After hesitating for a moment, he still called the female cultivator aside. "Thank you for saving me just now, senior. Otherwise, I would have really perished here," the woman said softly, bowing again.

"Fallen here? Not necessarily. As a cultivator of the Xu family of Tianyuan, didn't the Xu family prepare any life-saving measures for you?" Nie Zhaonan carefully examined the woman, confirming his guess, and said with a half-smile.

"Junior Xu Qianyu, how did Senior know that I am a cultivator from the Xu family?" The woman's heart skipped a beat, but she still admitted it.

"You don't need to know that," Nie Zhaonan said slowly, his eyes flashing.

When he first saw this woman, he felt that she looked familiar. After thinking for a moment, he realized that her eyes were almost identical to those of the Ice Soul Fairy's light and shadow that the cultivators of the Lesser Extreme Palace in the human realm summoned when they opened the Void Spirit Hall.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qianyu's beautiful face froze for a moment, but naturally she didn't press for further questions. Instead, she asked:
"Senior, did you summon me here alone because there is something you need from the Xu family that you would like me to convey to the family?"

Aside from her family, she didn't think that she, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, had anything to offer that warranted a private conversation with this Senior Nie.

"No." Nie Zhaonan shook his head slightly, then slowly said:

"When I was in the human realm, I received some benefits left behind by the Ice Soul Fairy."

"Ice Soul Fairy! That was our Xu family's ancestor a long time ago. Senior, you actually came from the same lower realm as our ancestor." Xu Qianyu was greatly surprised and replied in astonishment.

Nie Zhaonan nodded slightly, recalling the scene of Xu Qianyu using her natal flying sword to fight the enemy, "Hmm, the flying sword that Fellow Daoist Xu used earlier was not entirely made of ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Jade, otherwise its power could have been increased by at least half."

Somewhat puzzled by Nie Zhaonan's sudden remark, Xu Qianyu honestly replied:
"Senior is too kind. Although the ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Jade cannot compare with the top-grade materials in the Wilderness World, it is still extremely difficult to gather such a large quantity. The fact that the flying sword can now incorporate so much Xuan Jade is due to my relentless efforts to acquire it at all costs."

“Well then, I happen to have some ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Jade, enough to reforge the flying sword. Since Fellow Daoist Xu and Fairy Ice Soul have a connection, and you happen to have met me, I will give it to you.” Nie Zhaonan pondered for a moment and then said this.

He then flicked his hand across the storage bracelet, and with a flash of white light, a three-foot-long crystal jade box appeared in his hand, which he then handed over.

"Thank you for your generous gift, senior!" Xu Qianyu's face lit up with surprise and delight. She quickly expressed her gratitude, took the jade box, and opened the lid.

Upon seeing this, the woman gasped deeply.

Inside the jade box were ten fist-sized white crystals, each radiating a milky-white, cold light.

The sheer quantity of these mysterious jades was enough for her to reforge her flying sword, and the remaining materials could even be used to forge another extremely powerful magical artifact.

A fiery glint flashed in Xu Qianyu's eyes. After accepting the jade box, she bowed deeply to Nie Zhaonan once more.

Nie Zhaonan appeared completely unconcerned, and then casually flicked his wrist, sending the green sphere flying.

"The green shadow is of no use to me, so I'll give it to you as well."

After leaving those words behind, Nie Zhaonan vanished in a flash of light.

Whether it's the Void Heaven Cauldron, the Soul Nourishing Wood, the Frost Marrow, or the Azure Ice Flame, almost all of these items are closely related to the Ice Soul Fairy.

Since he received the relevant benefits back then and is now a high-level cultivator, helping the other party's descendants would also reduce some of his mental vulnerabilities.

"Senior." Xu Qianyu was about to invite Nie Zhaonan to the Xu family as a guest, but before she could say it, his figure disappeared.

After letting out a slight sigh, Xu Qianyu still happily put away the green sphere.

The green shadow inside is a being comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator; obtaining it from the Heavenly Palace could bring immense merit.

However, a faint sense of regret lingered in her heart.

"I heard that when Senior Nie first arrived in Tianyuan City, he only had the cultivation of the early stage of Void Refinement, but his supernatural abilities were already no less than those of late-stage Void Refinement cultivators. Now, his supernatural abilities must be even more unfathomable." The fierce-looking burly man muttered as he saw Xu Qianyu flying over.

"That's not all. I've also heard that when Senior Nie was on a special mission a hundred years ago, he even captured Chi Ying, a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator, alive, and escaped unscathed from the pursuit of Zi Ying, a Saint-level cultivator. He's far beyond what ordinary Void Refinement cultivators can compare to. I'm afraid Senior Nie's strength is second only to Nascent Soul cultivators." Another middle-aged woman said with envy.

"There might be some discrepancies, but it's not far off. Ascended cultivators are indeed a cut above our native cultivators in combat, and even in terms of supernatural powers and treasures, but the difference is limited. Clearly, this Senior Nie is an extraordinary existence among ascended cultivators," another Black Iron Guard said with considerable emotion.

"That's not all. This Senior Nie's Daoist partners are all extraordinary ascended cultivators. With their cultivation at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, they possess strength even greater than ordinary Void Refinement cultivators." The old man in blue armor looked in the direction where Nie Zhaonan disappeared, stroked his long beard, and suddenly interjected, recalling some rumors that had come from Zhao Wugui's Heavenly Guard.

These words startled the other cultivators, including Xu Qianyu, whose escape light had just vanished.

"Fairy Xu, do you perhaps have some kind of relationship with Senior Nie?" The fierce-looking burly man couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Fellow Daoist Yue is too kind. This is the first time I've met Senior Nie. I have no relation to you whatsoever. It's because Senior Nie knows one of my ancestors that he has taken such good care of me," Xu Qianyu replied softly.

"So that's how it is. I thought Senior Nie had taken a liking to Fairy Xu. If that were true, Fairy Xu would have a very promising future." The middle-aged woman murmured with a hint of regret.

Upon hearing this, a hint of sadness flashed in Xu Qianyu's eyes, unnoticed by anyone.

Nie Zhaonan was already famous far and wide. Not only was he powerful, but he was also handsome. Although it was only their first meeting, Xu Qianyu couldn't help but have a fleeting, impossible fantasy in her heart.

"Alright, let's continue patrolling the areas below." At this moment, the old man suddenly waved his hand and led the team away from the area.

On the other side, after thoroughly inspecting all the dangerous patrol areas outside Tianyuan City and gaining a clear understanding of the situation, Nie Zhaonan teleported back into the city.

After that, the cultivators of Tianyuan City never saw Nie Zhaonan again until more than thirty years later.

In Tianyuan City, a teleportation array leading directly to a certain location suddenly lit up, and two figures vanished in a flash at the center of the array.

Meanwhile, in a hall of a large city hundreds of millions of miles away from Tianyuan City, a loud humming sound arose.

A carefully guarded teleportation array suddenly burst into a bright white light.

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(End of this chapter)